Rockford, Illinois was first settled in 1834 when Germanicus Kent established Kentville on the west side of the Rock River.

Kent opened a blacksmith shop, bank, general store, and hotel near what is now State and Madison Streets.

Rockford quickly became an important commercial center because it sat approximately halfway between the cities of Chicago and Galena.

The early 1850s saw the creation of the Rockford Waterpower District, an industrial area that took advantage of the first permanent dam on the river, and a connection to the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad.

To keep up with the growing population, local businessmen replaced wood frame buildings with more permanent brick and stone structures.

The construction of Interstate 90 in the 1950s, which bypassed the commercial center of Rockford, greatly harmed its chances of economic recovery.

The national decline in manufacturing jobs caused the Rockford unemployment rate to skyrocket to 25.5 percent by January 1983.